Mountaineer
Field is about to undergo
a massive revolution,
offensively that is. And
that's probably good news
considering all the negative
rumblings stemming from
head coach Bill Stewart's
"lack-of" offensive
production the past few
years. WVU made one of
the most significant hires
this winter by luring
Oklahoma State offensive
coordinator Dana Holgorsen
out of Stillwater. He
will spend one season
under Stewart before taking
the reigns as head coach
in 2012.

What's
so grand about Holgorsen?
Just look at his track
record. He has been the
architect of some of college
football’s most
explosive offenses. His
Oklahoma State team led
the nation in total offense
a year ago averaging 44.9
points per game. Receiver
Justin Blackmon won the
Biletnikoff Award given
to the nation's top receiver.
Prior to that he was the
offensive coordinator
at Houston. Those Cougar
offenses put up explosive
numbers accounting for
563 yards per game while
finishing ranked No. 3
in total offense in 2008
and No. 1 in 2009. His
quarterback Case Keenum
led the nation in total
offense. In 2007 his Texas
Tech team led the nation
in passing where receiver
Michael Crabtree won the
Biletnikoff Award. The
shear numbers are astounding.
In the last five years
as an offensive coordinator,
Dana Holgorsen has piled
up over 19 miles of offense
(34,244 yards) for 2,617
points. (See chart below).

All
of this could not present
a more optimistic future
for fans and players alike,
especially the players.
Quarterback Geno Smith
is a known commodity.
If history is any indication,
Mr. Smith is about ready
to explode toward greater
heights. He maintains
a better athletic skill
set than many of the quarterbacks
Holgorsen has built into
statistical legends. The
man behind center won't
run with the ball, the
days of Pat White and
Rasheed Marshall killing
opponents with their feet
are over. This is first
and foremost a passing
attack. That doesn't necessarily
mean the days of Noel
Devine and Steve Slaton
running up and down the
field is over, but the
shear amount of times
the running backs handle
the ball will be diminished
for a more efficient approach.

With
all the schematic changes
on offense coming, the
personnel changes on defense
are what dominate the
preseason concerns. This
defense did it all a year
ago stuffing the run,
sacking the quarterback
and covering the pass.
But a huge chunk of those
players responsible for
its success have moved
on, only four starters
return. Linebacker in
particular was a major
talent pool resource that
was hit hard by graduation.
The inexperience factor
with this unit will certainly
be a source of early growing
pains. Take it for what
it's worth, but the 83
points given up in the
spring game can't be much
of a confidence booster
no matter what type of
scoring format was used.
Despite the turnover,
defensive coordinator
Jeff Casteel has a pretty
descent wealth of young
talent.

The
question of whether Bill
Stewart and Dana Holgorsen
can coexist together as
coaches does not seem
to be an issue that will
cause the Mountaineers
to implode. This is the
favorite to win a still-very-weak
Big Least conference.
The defense may not need
to be that impressive
if the first one to 50
points determines the
winner. Who wouldn’t
want to play in this offense?
In the long run look for
this aspect to pay dividends
in the recruiting ranks.
It will be extremely interesting
to see how this "Air
Raid" offense fits
into a league that isn't
used to seeing these schemes
on a weekly basis. Advantage
West Virginia. Let's Go!

Projected
2011 record: 9-3

DE
Bruce Irvin

WEST
VIRGINIA
2010 Statistical Rankings

OFFENSE

National

Conf.

Rushing:

50

4

Passing:

67

2

Total
Off:

67

2

Sacks
Allow:

71

5

DEFENSE

National

Conf.

Rushing:

2

1

Passing:

11

3

Total
Def:

3

1

Sacks:

2

1

RETURNING
LEADERS

Passing:
Geno Smith, 241-372-7,
2763 yds., 24 TD

Rushing: Ryan Clarke,
80 att., 291 yds., 8 TD

Receiving: Tavon
Austin, 58 rec., 787 yds.,
8 TD

Scoring: Tyler
Bitancurt, 10-17 FG, 41-41
PAT, 71 pts.

Punting: None

Kicking: Tyler
Bitancurt, 10-17 FG, 41-41
PAT, 71 pts.

Tackles: Terence
Garvin, 76 tot., 41 solo

Sacks: Bruce Irvin,
14 sacks

Interceptions:
Keith Tandy, 6 for 51
yds.

Kickoff Returns:
Tavon Austin, 12 ret.,
19.2 avg., 0 TD

Punt Returns: J.D.
Woods, 1 ret., 6.0 avg.,
0 TD

DANA
HOLGORSEN
19 miles of offense

In
the last five years
as an offensive
coordinator, Coach
Holgorsen has produced
34,244 yards of
total offense. That's
the equivalent of
19.5 miles.

QUARTERBACK
Returning starter Geno Smith was
able to practice and play this
spring and that was great news
considering he was questionable
with another off-season foot surgery.
Why was that important? Brand
new offensive coordinator/quarterbacks
coach Dana Holgorsen is implementing
a completely new system. Getting
reps and grasping this playbook
is a necessary springboard for
August. Mission accomplished as
Smith finished 26-of-37 for 388
yards and four touchdowns in the
spring game finale, albeit against
the second team defense. Smith
was able to make his cuts with
both feet and showed no ill effects
from his foot surgery. But Smith
won't be running with the ball
in this offense. The days of quarterbacks
being at the top of the rushing
statistics are over. Last season
Smith was criticized at times
for his poor decisions and badly
timed turnovers. But much of that
blame was also directed at inept
coaching, henceforth opening the
door for the WVU administration
to chase after Holgorsen. Look
for Geno Smith to thrive in this
system. He shows good form, a
quick release and should excel
in this offense throwing the ball.
The back ups however are both
true freshmen who enrolled early
and that's not a good sign at
all should Smith go down at some
point. Texas hurler Paul Millard
came out on top this spring after
leading the nation in passing
as a high school senior. Also
in the mix is Brian Athey from
Minnesota, the grandson of WVU
commentator Dwight Wallace. He
is likely in line for a redshirt
season barring injuries at this
position.

RUNNING
BACK
With Noel Devine moving on WVU
will begin the season without
a proven commodity at running
back for the first time since
2005. Combine this with the
fact the new offense is geared
to air it out and the uncertainty
of this 2011 rushing attack
only gets bigger. That probably
creates an uneasy feeling for
Mountaineer fans knowing the
last decade’s bread and
butter has been one of the nation's
most prolific ground games.
The identity of this offense
is about to change in a major
way and this is the one area
that gets the majority of the
facelift. New running back Coach
Robert Gillespie divides his
backfield between A backs (the
lead ball carrier) and B backs
(the blockers). Returning lead
rusher Ryan Clarke has proven
to be a force in short yardage
and then some. The bullish 250-pounder
looks like a nice fit for the
blocking B-back spot and he
will likely also see time at
A-back where his rushing skills
can be taken advantage of in
different ways. Clarke sat out
the spring after suffering torn
cartilage in his knee during
from the first scrimmage which
allowed former walk-on Matt
Lindamood to get most of the
No. 1 reps. At the A-back spot
Trey Johnson has carried the
ball with authority thus far.
He and true freshman Vernard
Roberts, who enrolled early
and led all rushers in the spring
game, are smallish scat back
types. Shawne Alston spelled
Noel Devine last season when
Devine was suffering with injury.
He is the big back option between
the tackles but also had his
spring cut short with a sprained
neck. The Morgantown chatter
is that incoming freshman Andrew
Buie will have a chance to be
the featured ball carrier. Expect
the carries to be split up.
Getting anything close to a
1,000-yard back doesn't seem
likely under this scenario.

RECEIVER
One or maybe two of these receivers
is going to be a star, count
on it. And that is something
else that will be a newly welcomed
sight to Mountaineer fans. Who
is the next Michael Crabtree
or the next Justin Blackmon
- two of the All-American, record
setting receivers that have
flourished under offensive coordinator
Dana Holgorsen? That is how
this offense works where an
underrated high school prospect
with gifted athletic skills
can post colossal numbers in
this "Air Raid". The
good news is that WVU has several
of these types. The base sets
will include four receivers,
nothing new in Morgantown. What's
different is how they line up
and get utilized. With two inside
receivers and two outside receivers
everybody gets a shot. At the
top of the heap is all-time
Maryland prep career rusher
Tavon Austin. He is the team's
returning leading pass catcher
but way too many times last
year was ignored down the stretch.
He can torment defenses across
the middle using his shiftiness
to turn short passes into big
gainers. He has proven capable
of stretching the field with
his top end speed. If ever there
was a player begging to be unshackled
in a wide-open passing system,
it is Tavon Austin. Another
capable receiver that has proven
to make clutch plays in tight
spaces is Stedman Bailey. He
has a chance to build on a stellar
freshman campaign. Bailey lacks
elite athleticism and size but
has the ability to make the
highlight catches. Along with
Bradley Starks, Ivan McCartney
is the tallest receiver in the
rotation standing at 6'3. A
ton of expectations have been
placed on the shoulders of the
Miramar, FL high school star.
He possesses that elite NFL
size and speed but he has yet
to display anything that would
leave coaches to believe he
can contribute immediately.
The former quarterback Starks
was lost for the spring with
a shoulder injury but if healthy
is expected to finally make
some noise his senior campaign.
J.D. Woods turned out to be
a nice surprise last season
catching 18 passes. He can make
a nice fifth or sixth option
providing the needed depth although
there may not be enough balls
to go around. Pat White's brother
Coley, also a former quarterback,
is now a full-time receiver
in the mix. Ryan Nehlen, grandson
of Hall of Fame WVU coach Don
Nehlen, won the award this spring
as the top walk-on and is good
enough to see time on the field.
There won't be a tight end in
these formations so Tyler Urban
will be used as an inside receiver
to create mismatches with smaller
defensive backs. There really
are quite a few options here,
although Coach Holgorsen is
still concerned with the lack
of numbers. That's how many
receivers are required to work
his magic.

OFFENSIVE
LINE
This front wall is the biggest
offensive question mark heading
into the season once again.
These same linemen crippled
the offense on many occasions
last year while failing to open
holes for a once proud ground
game. University of Arizona
line coach and co-offensive
coordinator Bill Bedenbaugh
has been hired to resurrect
this unit. His efforts were
not made any easier when starting
tackles Don Barclay and Jeff
Braun sat out the spring with
off-season shoulder surgery.
The only silver lining was that
young bull elephants Quentin
Spain and Pat Eger got a chance
to run with the first group
while building the depth factor.
It would not be surprising to
see one of these mammoths wind
up being the starter before
2011 comes to a close. Spain
has a great upside after losing
weight this winter while finding
a dedication in the weight room.
All-Big East senior Don Barclay
has played in 39 career games,
starting 27 and is the veteran
of the group while Braun led
the offensive line with 48 knockdowns
and five thunderbolt blocks
last year. Parkersburg product
Josh Jenkins was once considered
the number one high school player
coming out of the state of West
Virginia. He needs to rise up
and perform like a college senior
for this line to take an extensive
step forward. Four starters
are back and there is no reason
for the continued sub par results.
It might take a while for this
group to get comfortable in
the new system, which could
slow down the early progress.

WR
Tavon Austin

WEST
VIRGINIA 2011 DEPTH
CHARTReturning
Starters/Key
Players

OFFENSE

QB

Geno
Smith-Jr (6-3, 210)

Paul
Millard-Fr (6-2, 200)

B-back

Ryan
Clarke-Jr (6-0, 247)

Matt
Lindamood-Jr (6-0,
234)

A-back

Trey
Johnson-So (5-10,
172)

Shawne
Alston-Jr (5-11, 222)

WR

Stedman
Bailey-So (5-10, 195)

Tyler
Urban-Sr (6-5, 249)

WR

Tavon
Austin-Jr (5-9, 173)

Coley
White-Jr (6-0, 175)

WR

Ivan
McCartney-So (6-3,
183)

J.D.
Woods-Jr (6-0, 192)

WR

Bradley
Starks-Sr (6-3,190)

Ryan
Nehlen-Jr (6-2, 198)

OT

Don
Barclay-Sr (6-4, 304)

Quinton
Spain-RFr (6-6, 330)

OG

Josh
Jenkins-Sr (6-3, 300)

Chad
Snodgrass-Sr (6-4,
296)

C

Joe
Madsen-Jr (6-4, 290)

John
Bassler-Jr (6-4, 295)

OG

Tyler
Rader-Sr (6-3, 291)

Cole
Bowers-So (6-5, 289)

OT

Jeff
Braun-Jr (6-4, 308)

Pat
Eger-So (6-6, 288)

K

Tyler
Bitancurt-Jr (6-1,
198)

Corey
Smith-Jr (5-11, 214)

2011
DEFENSE

DEFENSIVE
LINE
This defensive line did its
job last year, that's for sure.
Those hefty numbers don’t
lie. They helped lead a defense
that ranked second nationally
against the rush and second
nationally at producing sacks.
Two key clogs have departed
in Scooter Berry and Chris Neild.
The pass rush will still continue
to rank with the best of them
though, as defensive end Bruce
Irvin should be the star of
the defense. Irvin was a pass
rushing specialist who emerged
on the scene last fall as a
first year JUCO transfer by
recording 14 sacks while playing
primarily on third downs. He
has been working extremely hard
to make the transition of being
an every down player. After
adding six pounds to his size
while hitting the weight room,
the senior is sure to garner
double team attention from opposing
teams. That leaves fellow senior
Julian Miller on the other side
to wreak havoc. Miller is actually
the only returning starter on
this line. He posted nine sacks
in each of the past two seasons
but has been moved from end
to tackle in this 3-man defensive
alignment. This will give Irvin
more opportunities on the outside.
Miller may weigh in a little
light on the scale to play tackle
but his quickness should be
an advantage. Will Clarke showed
promise at the beginning of
last season before being slowed
by a high ankle sprain. He will
back up Irvin and with continued
success can find time in certain
packages. The battle to replace
the wide-bodied (and NFL bound)
bulldog Neild won't be as simple.
Jorge Wright and Josh Taylor
have appeared in a combined
44 games. Wright made a move
this spring to take over but
his efforts got derailed after
being suspended indefinitely
for an arrest on May 3. Taylor
has performed in more games
and seen more starts. This line
will be lighter in 2011, but
it will also be quicker. It's
shaping up to continue being
the best pass rush in the Big
East. Continued achievement
at stopping the run could be
another story.

LINEBACKER
As with many positions on defense
WVU will be looking for some
new faces to step in at linebacker.
No other unit will go through
this much of a rebuilding effort
with familiar names such as
J.T. Thomas, Pat Lazear and
Anthony Leonard graduating.
The experience level is desperately
slim. Holding down the fort
will be fifth-year senior Najee
Goode who luckily can play all
three spots. The question is
where does he fit best? Ironically,
the official WVU spring depth
chart has Goode starting at
both the strong side and the
weak side. While that scenario
is comically impossible, it
does demonstrate the need for
someone else to step up. If
Goode starts on the strong side
that opens the door for Josh
Francis, who just participated
in his first spring here, on
the weak side. Francis came
from Lackawanna Jr. College
in Scranton, PA where he was
tabbed a First Team JUCO All-American.
Francis emerging as a dependable
starter would provide a huge
boost. Currently operating with
the first group on this side
is senior walk-on Casey Vance.
Another option is for two sophomores
to start the opener in Branko
Busick and Doug Rigg. The middle
dons the least experience where
Busick finished with three tackles
on the season. His backup Jewone
Snow redshirted. Between the
two of them they registered
fewer tackles than receiver
J.D. Woods. At least Rigg saw
some action last year and could
be an option on the strong side.
The New Jersey prepster played
in all 13 games a year ago as
a back up. Defensive Coordinator
Jeff Casteel has proven he can
produce more with less. This
bunch has its shortcomings and
Casteel will need to do his
best work yet to make sure this
group doesn't spell disaster,
especially early in the season.

DEFENSIVE
BACK
Jeff Casteel will continue to
implement the 3-3-5 stack defense,
which equates to a need for
quality defensive backs and
plenty of them. Maintaining
the numbers despite the loss
of three key performers does
not appear to be a problem with
a young pipeline filling the
gaps. Talent seems to be sufficient
but experience does not. Rivals.com
named Keith Tandy a Third Team
All-American last December after
leading the Big East with six
interceptions. He will be the
leader in this secondary. The
departure of Brandon Hogan at
the other cornerback spot won't
be easy to replace. Pat Miller
is the front-runner after posting
two starts a year ago. The speedy
junior from Hoover High in Birmingham,
AL was primarily used on third
down situations so he knows
what it takes to be in crucial
situations. Washington DC product
Avery Williams enrolled early
as a true freshman this January
and is making strides every
day. He could wind up as part
of this rotation. Spur safety
Terence Garvin could be the
best player in this secondary.
After leading the team in tackles
in 2011 as just a sophomore,
Garvin is an imposing figure
that has a great future. At
free safety is Eain Smith who
sat out the spring with injury.
Smith has a reputation for being
in the coaches’ doghouse,
which means the door for talented
youngster Travis Bell is wide
open. Bell played in all 13
games as a true freshman. He
is the tallest safety and can
reportedly launch off the synthetic
turf. The lack of experience
is immediately felt at bandit
safety where Darwin Cook was
used solely as a back up last
year. Pushing him is Wes Tonkery
who redshirted. Overall, this
unit cannot be expected to maintain
the same type of production
compared to a year ago. Nor
will it meet the same potential
as what could have been if Robert
Sands had stayed in school.
The cupboard is not bare by
any means however and is far
ahead of where this unit was
just two seasons ago when Coach
Lockwood took over.

CB
Keith Tandy

WEST
VIRGINIA 2011 DEPTH
CHARTReturning
Starters/Key
Players

DEFENSE

DE

Bruce
Irvin-Sr (6-3, 235)

Will
Clarke-RFr (6-6, 265)

NT

Josh
Taylor-Sr (6-1, 278)

Jorge
Wright-Jr (6-2, 264)

DT

Julian
Miller-Sr (6-4, 260)

J.B.
Lageman-Jr (6-3, 266)

SLB

Najee
Goode-Sr (6-1, 238)

Doug
Rigg-So (6-1, 215)

MLB

Branko
Busick-So (6-0, 231)

Jewone
Snow-RFr (6-3, 230)

WLB

Casey
Vance-Sr (5-9, 227)

Josh
Francis-Jr (6-2, 215)

CB

Pat
Miller-Jr (5-10, 183)

Brodrick
Jenkins-So (5-10,
182)

CB

Keith
Tandy-Sr (5-10, 198)

Brantwon
Bowser-Sr (5-11, 190)

SPUR

Terence
Garvin-Jr (6-3, 215)

Mike
Dorsey-So (6-3, 210)

FS

Eain
Smith-Sr (5-11, 204)

Travis
Bell-So (6-2, 187)

BS

Darwin
Cook-So (5-11, 205)

Wes
Tonkery-RFr (6-1,
190)

P

Corey
Smith-Jr (5-11, 214)

Michael
Molinari-RFr (6-2,
196)

2011
SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker
Tyler Bitancurt returns after an extremely
disappointing and inconsistent 2010
effort where he went 10-of-17 on field
goal attempts. Bitancurt was selected
as a First Team All-Big East selection
in 2009 before his sophomore slump.
He was just 2-of-7 from 40 yards and
out. But his understanding of technique
sets him apart from Corey Smith at
present. This will be the fourth year
in a row WVU needs to find a new punter.
Big leg Corey Smith may not win the
place kicker job but has the leading
edge here. In 2007, the Musselman
High Schooler was the best kicker/punter
combination in the state. He enrolled
at Alabama but found his way home
transferring to Morgantown. Smith
debuted as the kickoff man last year
where eight of his boots resulted
in touchbacks doubling the amount
from the year prior. Broderick Jenkins
is currently first in line to handle
the punt returns. The turbo charged
defensive back out of Fort Myers,
FL has yet to catch a punt in a Blue
and Gold uniform however. When it
comes to returning kicks offs, just
put Tavon Austin back deep and get
out of the way. His average took a
dip from the big year he had as a
true frosh in '09, which could be
contributed to a shoulder injury he
battled through. The early projection
has Bradley Starks, one of the five
fastest on the team, flanking Austin.
This of course assumes Starks can
recover from an injury bug that has
plagued the senior. Coaches are looking
for more production in the return
department and hope to rectify the
situation as they hired Daron Roberts
away from the Detroit Lions to handle
the special teams.